Sharpening the conservation saw at Whetstone Creek
Every part of America’s Heartland has its own special qualities that a hunter/conservationist can admire and enjoy. Some places, like Whetstone Creek Conservation Area in Callaway County, Mo., also have an evocative name that hints at its natural treasures, and then backs it up with the wildlife, habitat and recreational opportunities to impress even the most jaded hunters.
Whetstone Creek takes its name from the portion of the stream corridor that passes through the area, and the threatened black- nosed shiner calls the creek home.
A designated conservation area of more than 5,000 acres, Whetstone Creek is predominantly forested — with grassland, savanna, cropland, old fields, prairie and small ephemeral wetlands making up the natural balance.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) purchased the property in 1976, using funds from the Pittman-Robertson Act (administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Prior to settlement, the area encompassed by Whetstone Creek was composed of tallgrass prairies, savannas, woodlands and forested landscapes. Portions of the property have had many owners since the mid-1800s.
By the latter 1800s, only a few landowners owned most of the property, and the area was later managed as a cattle ranch through most of the 1900s. Today, Whetstone Creek is managed primarily for small game species such as quail and rabbits and, of course, wild turkeys. Management is primarily accomplished through permit farming, prescribed burns and other forest management practices to promote the early successional habitat that is critical to many wildlife species.
NWTF volunteers have been involved in the conservation area’s success. The Missouri State Chapter contributed $6,000 in Super Fund money along with an additional $7,200 of Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative money to complete a 700-acre prescribed burn to improve nesting and brood rearing habitat.
“Timber stand improvement throughout the Midwest is, or should be, a critical component of forest wildlife management,” said NWTF Regional Biologist John Burk. “Most folks are aware of the value of fire, but in many cases oak/hickory forests are overstocked and the lush herbaceous flush that we want after a burn doesn’t occur due to the shading effect of closed tree canopies. In addition to improving nesting and brood rearing habitat on the management area, this project will also demonstrate the value of expanding this technique on private lands.”
Whetstone is a designated Quail Emphasis Area (translation: focused on managing habitat for early successional species such as Northern bobwhite quail).
Little projects mean a lot in Missouri
The Missouri State Chapter board of directors approved three projects to provide cost-share assistance to landowners across Missouri. To support these projects, the NWTF’s $11,100 Super Fund was matched with $12,600 of Bobwhite Quail Costs Share grant money through the MDC and other partners. The grants improve private landowners’ ability to conduct habitat improvement projects such as converting invasive grasses to native grasses, improving timber and prescribed burning.
Conservation also means involving the next generation in the outdoors and our sporting heritage, which can pay big dividends for conservation efforts for decades to come. Students in Missouri’s Willow Springs School District are one of four schools that enjoyed archery as part of their physical education experience thanks to the Super Fund. In addition to the $5,000 that thestate chapter contributes to administer the National Archery in the Schools Program, $5,000 helped purchase the equipment needed to implement the program in the Mexico, Hannibal, Willow Springs and Salem school systems. — James Powell